The Nine Grahas

The Luminaries

Surya and Chandra — the Sun and Moon, soul and mind.

The Sun is your atma

Surya (the Sun) is the atma-karaka of the natural zodiac — the significator of the soul, vitality, and the sense of I am. It also stands for the father, authority, health, and the bones and eyes.

Think of Surya as the steady centre everything else orbits.

Strong signs and weak signs

A graha changes strength depending on the sign it sits in — like a person who thrives in one room and wilts in another.

• Exalted (uccha): its best sign — confident and at full power.
• Own sign (sva-kshetra): at home — steady and comfortable.
• Debilitated (neecha): its weakest sign — its nature struggles.

Where Surya shines

Surya rules Simha (Leo) — its own sign. It is exalted in Mesha (Aries), at its most confident, and debilitated in Tula (Libra), where the urge to please dims its will.

Remember it

Sun = soul, sovereign, sight. Three S's for the giver of light.

The Moon is your manas

Chandra (the Moon) signifies the mind (manas), emotions, comfort, the mother, and nourishment. The Moon's sign is so important in Jyotish that charts are often read from it as a second ascendant.

Waxing and waning

A bright (waxing) Moon is a strong natural benefic. A dark (waning) Moon is weak and treated cautiously — the same planet, different strength.

Where Chandra shines

Chandra rules Karka (Cancer). It is exalted in Vrishabha (Taurus) and debilitated in Vrishchika (Scorpio).

Terms introduced here

Surya — the soul

Sun signifies atma, vitality, the father, and authority.

Exaltation & debilitation

Each graha has a sign of greatest strength (uccha) and greatest weakness (neecha).

Chandra — the mind

Moon signifies manas, emotions, the mother, and nourishment.

Benefic vs malefic

Grahas have a natural temperament — gentle (saumya) or harsh (krura).